Discovery In the Archives
Her article, titled “New Evidence Concerning the Original Version of Robert Delaunay’s The Runners,” appeared in The Burlington Magazine, one of the world’s oldest and most respected art historical publications.
The painting, held at the Museum of Modern Art in Troyes, France, portrays five runners rounding a bend on a track. Greeley’s interest began in 2020 during archival work at the Harry Ransom Center in Austin, Texas. There she discovered an unpublished installation photograph from a 1926 German art exhibition. In that image, Delaunay’s painting looked noticeably different from the version now displayed in Troyes. That visual inconsistency sparked a detailed investigation.
Drawing on photographic documentation and technical analysis from the Centre for Research and Restoration of Museums of France (C2RMF), Greeley uncovered an intricate history that had long been misunderstood.
Tracing The Painting’s Evolution
Greeley determined that the Troyes painting was not the earliest version of the work. The original composition, titled Record, differed in layout and was likely based on a press photograph of an Olympic race won by Finnish running legend Paavo Nurmi. This earlier version was the one shown in the 1926 exhibition photograph. After its exhibition, Delaunay altered the original canvas, reworking it into The Runners, the painting now housed in Troyes. He later created additional versions on new canvases that continued to explore the same energetic theme of athletes in motion.
As she pursued the painting’s exhibition history, Greeley realized the work had also been displayed in Paris in 1925, a fact that had been obscured by the later title change and physical modifications to the canvas. These discoveries not only clarified the painting’s development but also helped reestablish a more accurate timeline.
For Greeley, uncovering the truth behind artworks reflects a deeper sense of stewardship. She believes scholarship can be an expression of her Christian faith, rooted in a commitment to pursue truth, beauty, and understanding. That conviction prompted her to look more closely at the faint clues embedded in the archived photograph.
Contributions To Museums and The Market
Greeley hopes her research will support the curatorial team at the Troyes museum and other scholars who study Delaunay’s work. “Museums everywhere are full of artworks whose histories are only partially or imperfectly understood,” she said. “Any contribution that enlarges or clarifies existing knowledge about an object is valuable.”
Several later versions of The Runners have appeared at auction houses such as Sotheby’s and Christie’s during the past 30 years. Greeley believes her findings may help clarify the historical and market value of privately owned versions that may surface in the future. Exhibition histories often strengthen an artwork’s significance, influence curatorial decisions, and play a key role in determining market value.
Greeley also incorporated her findings into her IWU teaching, using the case as an example of how art historians combine material, formal, iconographic, and contextual analysis. Through the C2RMF technical data, she showed students how tools like infrared reflectography can reveal earlier layers beneath a painting’s surface, offering insight into the artist’s evolving ideas.
Interdisciplinary Insight
Greeley regularly emphasizes to her students that art history is deeply interdisciplinary. “In my general education courses, I am always quick to impress upon students that the visual arts have a connection to literally every field of academic inquiry,” she said.
Her research on The Runners illustrates this approach. While studying the 1926 photograph, she contacted Melvin Royer, professor of mathematics at IWU, to explore whether the painting’s original dimensions could be reconstructed from the image. Royer introduced her to cross-ratio geometry and provided formulas that helped confirm and strengthen conclusions she had reached through other research methods.
Reflecting on the project, Greeley said the experience deepened her understanding of Delaunay’s art and highlighted the collaborative spirit that underlies scholarly work. What began as a single photograph became a multidisciplinary investigation that connected art, mathematics, history, and Christian faith while revealing the layered story behind a painting of Olympic significance.
